BMW Z2 with FWD – Same Old Rumor

The interwebs are once again getting fired up over a rumor around the BMW Z2. The small, entry-level roadster has been rumored for quite some …

The interwebs are once again getting fired up over a rumor around the BMW Z2. The small, entry-level roadster has been rumored for quite some time now, at least 4 years if we recall correctly, and as always time has passed and the Z2 Roadster goes from almost greenlighted to killed on the spot.

So let’s see what’s the fuss about this time around. UK magazine Autocar which tends to have a decent track record in the rumors world, reports that the small roadster will indeed make use of the new front-wheel drive architecture and surprise surprise, will be called Z2 (a name already trademarked by BMW). As we mentioned several times before, IF the vehicle will hit the market it will compete against the popular and very successful Mazda MX-5 and also against a new Alfa Romeo roadster dubbed Spyder.

“We are considering a car in the spirit of the original Z3,” a BMW official said to Autocar. “It is of similar size to the E36/7 [the codename for the original Z3] but is planned to use the front-wheel-drive platform to keep costs down and achieve a margin level that ensures it is sustainable at comparatively low production volumes.”

The reports goes on mentioning possible powerplants under the hood, such as the turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0 liter engines with a power range from 170 to 300 horsepower.

And a new launch date is being mentioned now: 2015.

Our take? Who knows anymore, the product strategy in the automotive world has become very dynamic (not that it wasn’t before) and new products and ideas often get killed even after prototypes are being built.